Ne-Yo Reflects On Jodeci’s Legacy, Says Music Needs More Than Just Trap On ‘For The Record’

Ne-Yo will drop his seventh studio album Good Man this June, and he’s still fresh off the release of the soulful title track. While Ne-Yo has experimented with different genres in the past, the “Good Man” single brings back nostalgic R&B sounds that he’s built a reputation on.

In honor of the forthcoming LP, the singer-songwriter sat down with Genius on For The Record, an in-depth talk show hosted by Rob Markman, where he reflected on the legacy of R&B and where he sees the genre heading with new artists.

When discussing prominent ‘90s R&B artists, the first act that pops into Ne-Yo’s head is the harmonious quartet Jodeci. The group climbed various Billboard charts with a slew of iconic hits like “Forever My Lady” and “Cry For You,” bringing soulful ballads to mainstream audiences. Ne-Yo explained how they created a cultural appeal with the juxtaposition of edgy attitudes and lyrics centered on love.

“You cannot say that these cats wasn’t hard. You can’t say that they wasn’t cool,” he said, adding that it was important that every song was about love. “I feel like nowadays cats look at it as corny, or whatever the case may be, and it’s just because for whatever reason everybody on the face of the planet suddenly just wants to be so hard.”

Ne-Yo also touched up contemporary R&B artists and thinks there’s a big movement happening within the genre with artists like Sabrina Claudio and H.E.R.

“I love trap music myself. Huge fan of the Migos,” he said. “I just feel like we need some diversity. We need a little bit more of some other stuff to add with it…It [R&B movement] hasn’t so much hit the masses yet, but slowly but surely, we’re getting there. We’re definitely getting there.”